Agricultural implements of various types have been used through the years in order to loosen the soil. Some of these implements are intended for use in fields before the crops are planted, and other types have been used for cultivating between rows of growing crops. More recently there have been proposed implements which include working surfaces for shallow tilling and other working surfaces for deeper soil loosening action.
These types of implements include a downwardly depending shanking on which is carried a blade or shoe of one type or another, usually having a sharpened front edge portion. As the blade is pulled through the ground the blade tends to wear out rapidly, especially when tilling hard or gravelly soil. Thus, the blade must be replaced often.
The wear on the front or leading edge of the shank is also very significant. Accordingly, it is commonplace to weld a layer of very hard material (such as AR 400 hard steel, commercially available from Inland Steel Co.) to the leading edge of the shank to reduce the extent of this wear. However, such a technique necessary adds to the time and cost of manufacturing the shanks.
The replacement of work blades or shoes on these implements is often a great inconvenience, requiring the loosening and removal of bolts and the like, as well as involving considerable cost for replacement items. Although some types of blades or shoes may be replaced more easily than others, there still remains the cost for the replacement parts. In my copending application Ser. No. 06/546,291, filed Oct. 28, 1983, now abandoned incorporated herein by reference, I describe a self-sharpening shoe having extended wear life.
It has also been observed that large powerful tractors must be used in order to pull certain types of ripper tillers through the soil. Generally speaking, larger tractors are required for deeper tillage and maximum loosening of the soil. This can be a tremendous disadvantage for someone who does not own a large tractor.
Various types of tiller and plow implements are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,415,042; 4,269,274; 3,268,012; 3,195,654; 3,170,421; 3,085,635; 3,042,118; 3,026,947; 2,940,192; 2,904,119; 2,860,861; 2,786,404; 2,222,071; 1,916,833; 1,073,984; 555,804; 80,015; 30,744; 19,262; Austria Pat. No. 207,603; and Australia Pat. No. 106027. None of these patents, however, describe a ripper tiller utilizing a novel ripper shank having the advantage provided by the present invention.